At least three out of 10 residents trek for more than 30 minutes daily to get water in Baringo county — three times the national average.
The figures are contained in a report released by the Center for Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance, an NGO.
“Statistics show Baringo is worryingly among the most water-scarce counties in Kenya,” the NGOs programme officer Evans Kibet told an Equity Week event at the Kenya School of Governmen in Kabarnet town on Wednesday.
The majority of residents still trek several miles to access the rare commodity.
He said this is one of the highest rates in the Kenya. "In fact, it is about three times the national average,” Kibet said.
Kibet said semi-arid Tiaty, Baringo North, Mogotio and Baringo South subcounties as the most affected.
“The majority of residents still trek several miles to access the rare commodity, although the trend varies in different wards,” he said.
Kibet cited Silale ward in Tiaty subcounty with only 17 per cent water coverage, compared with Eldama-Ravine subcounty with a high of 84 per cent water coverage.
“Apart from walking for long distances, the poverty-stricken residents are also not assured of clean water for both drinking and domestic use,” he said.
The organisation carried out the research in collaboration with the International Budget Partnership Kenya, the Commission on Revenue Allocation and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics between 2013 and 2019.
The report revealed that despite an acute water shortage, the county rolled over water projects worth Sh400m in its 2017-18 budget.
“The department registered the lowest budget absorption performance, hence, the high rollover,” Kenya IBP director Abraham Rugo said.
Citing the slow pace of development projects, Rugo expressed fear of another coming huge rollover of as much as Sh621 million in the water sector in 2019-20 allocation.
“The county may present a risk of not effectively dealing with ward-level inequalities in various sectors such as water,” he said.
Rugo said statistics show Baringo channelled as much as Sh 26b billion to the water sector since the onset of devolution in 2013.
"But it seems to date the results are invisible on the ground," he said.
Governor Stanley Kiptis who attended the meeting blamed low budget allocations by the national government.
“In fact, you cannot compare us in Baringo receiving a paltry Sh4.9 billion as our total annual budget with Turkana, which amasses up to Sh12 billion," he said.
Kiptis appealed to the Commission on Revenue Allocation to allocate more funds to the county.
(Edited by V. Graham)
